Meaningful ecological and environmental risk assessment of pest control agents is possible only when accurate and credible metabolic and environmental fate data is available. The advent of affordable and sensitive liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has greatly increased our ability to detect environmentally relevant metabolites and degradation products following the application of these materials. Furthermore, ecological risk assessment and monitoring of pesticide resistance in field populations has become more feasible and cost effective by employing hig-hroughout molecular diagnostic techniques on the genetic leve3l and LC/MS techniques on the proteomic and meabolomic levels.

Efficient formulations and application technologies have greatly reduced the amount of materials that are required to achieve effective pest control and hence reduce their ecological and environmental impacts. Controlled release, stabilization and dispersion technologies have provided the pest manager with new tools that allow them to use necessary pest control options in "best management strategies."